Hi All,

Dr. Hartmann explained foremilk-hindmilk variations in some detail at a conference last January. There is still a difference in fat content before fore and hind milk, but the major differences in fat content relate to the degree of emptiness of the breast. For example, a woman with fairly small storage capacity - her baby might nearly drain the breast at each feed, and therefore the fat content would have considerable variance within the feed. A different mother with large storage capacity - her baby might need two or three feeds to drain just one breast, and the fat variance within a feed might be far less than the fat variance between the "full breast" feed and the "empty breast" feed. Dr. Hartmann said that 70% of the fat variation in milk can be explained by the emptiness concept.

The old saying "the breast is not a storage container" is not supported by research. 

I find this very reassuring and much more straightforward than trying to figure out which time of day the fat content is the highest, which varies in different populations. 

Linda Smith, private practice, Dayton OH where the frost is on the pumpkins - literally - and my outdoor plants are dead. Including the indoor ones I forgot to bring inside last night.